Whiskey is fitting in almost any environment, and no matter how you like to take it: straight, on the rocks by the fire, mixed in a Manhattan at the club. But to us, whiskey will always invoke something rough – something rugged. American Whiskey has always been the drink of choice on the frontier, of mountain men and cowboys. And that is the kind of spirit that Roughstock Montana Whiskey seeks to carry on.
Located in Bozeman (one of the most up-and-coming spots in the West, these days), Roughstock Distillery is the first distillery to set up shop in Montana for over 100 years; they’ve made it their mission to create truly authentic whiskey with “Western Flair”. Which means that, besides using Montana grown-grain and water straight from the mountains (we guess you could say it literally tastes like Montana) they imbue the character of the frontier right into their spirits.
Their first whiskey is Roughstock Pure Malt, a classic malt whiskey, made with 100% barley mash, which gives it a distinct, sweet malt flavor, which many other malt whiskey’s lack. They ferment it in Oregon fir tanks, distill it twice, and then age it for 2-5 years in white oak barrels. Before bottling, they actually select from different barrels to mix together for a more complex flavor. Look for hints of pear, apple and banana, with vanilla, toffee and tannin spice – and smoke – rounding out the sweet malt palate.
Roughstock’s got a whole selection of fine whiskeys, such as their Black Label, Straight Bourbon and Sweet Corn Whiskey. Black Label is a stronger, spicier and smokier whiskey than the Malt, with complex layers of heavy fruit, dark chocolate and orange zest. They’ve also got a few delicious-sounding recommended drinks on their website, such as the Montana Winter Welcome. If the rugged taste of the Wild West sounds like something you’d enjoy, a bottle of Roughstock is sure to please.